Reflections #2

Movie: The Emperors Club (2002)

Reflection Foci:
What is the role of teacher as molder of character?
The role of the culture in the development of character?
Give examples of reflective practice on the part of the teacher.
Review Character Education programs online and identify one you like. Give a summary of the
program and how you would use it in your practice.

Out of the Mold

Of the four films I watched for independent study, The Emperors Club somehow
philosophically moved me the most. It presented tough questions that make viewers ponder on
what exactly shapes our character and moral allegiances. The movie proceeded as seemingly a
quiet movie of clash of manners, but the inner struggles of the dedicated teacher, Mr. William
Hundert, the main protagonist, spoke so loud we could feel his sincerity in his own admission of
frailty as a teacher. In his belief that students could be nurtured to inculcate values that would
mold their character, then came a defiant student incorrigible ways he had to put up with. I
failed you, he told him, mainly owing to the occasions he allowed him to cheat even twice in a
school competition that was his own legacy.
The teacher as a molder of character
Mr. Hunderts passion for western civilization classics became his vehicle for showcasing
the legacies of the revered great men of history. How will history remember you? he asks his
students, relaying the timeless principles and teachings drawn from history. Mr. Hundert
believed that impressionable young minds could follow the examples set forth by key historical
personages whose works and deeds were celebrated because of their impact and whatever
truth about humanity they represented. For instance, Mr. Hundert methodically would make his
students recite maxims and passages as if they were singing chants or saying prayers that
would help them easily ingrain virtues into their minds. Quite vaguely, I somehow loosely
associated Mr. Hundarts pedagogical approaches at first as being behaviorist in orientation.
While he infused the love for learning with his passion for his own academic subject, Mr.
Hundert also emerged to be one that valued traditions and focused discipline. He championed
order and systematic procedures in class. He himself held on to his gentlemanly character as he
exercised self-restraint over his own broiling romance with a colleague. Mr. Hundert is himself a
character that students became fond of.
The film raised the issue of the role of a teacher as a molder of character. In my opinion,
due to the immense influence of teachers on their students, it is inevitable that we assume
characters worthy of respect and emulation. I am not saying that we merely project a facade
that could command regard or admiration. I guess it comes with the territory that as a teacher,
society sees you as a professional imbued with integrity and wisdom. This is not to say that
teachers are flawless, morally upright individuals. The movie somehow humanized our
stereotypical view of teachers. Perhaps it boils down to our sincerity to others and even to our
own selves. While we acknowledge our own limitations, as teachers we commit ourselves to
principles that we think positively affect others to become better individuals.

The role of culture in the development of character

Our own culture and environment likewise greatly influence how we build our character.
In the film, the scene where the senator had to remind Mr. Hundert that its the senators
business, and not his, to mold his own son depicts well how our own immediate family
environment shapes if not controls our personal values. Towards the movie, I was not at all
surprised that Sedgewick Bell, the smart alec student eventually assumed his fathers own
character. Like father, like son, as they say. Families are efficient means of cultural as well as
values transmission. There may be culture-specific beliefs that we subscribe to, but I would also
say that there are universal human core values that we generally share with the rest of the
society. Peers or friends also wield considerable amount of influence in our behavior and
beliefs. In school, we see all these influences at work in students. They bring with them to
school their family-instilled values or practices. They do so as the school itself or their friends
likewise create impact on their own value systems. Whether character could actually be taught
is one of the philosophical takes of the movie.
The choices Sedgewick Bell made in the movie illustrates how our immediate
environment can greatly influence ones character, positively or otherwise. This is not to say
though that Mr. Hunderts efforts to influence his students was pointless. Even as Mr. Hundert
told Sedgewick, I failed you, he knows that one mistake did not essentially define his success
as a teacher. Pondering on how his many other students eventually ended up as respectable
adults in their own professional fields, he could still stand proud of his legacy as a teacher.
Mr. Hundert: Seasons of Reflections
In his retirement age, Mr. Hundert pensively looked back at his teaching career that
spanned more than 30 years. Year in and year out, he saw how his teaching prowess and
dedication inspired learners of different generations. He acknowledged his shortcomings and his
misplaced confidence on Sedgewick. Yet, while he, too, admitted his own lapses, this did not
prevent him from doing what he does best, i.e. to teach to inspire minds and develop character.
He still stood as a great teacher. His own student whose rightful due in the past he never gave
in his efforts to save another child still acknowledged his greatness as a teacher and even
entrusted his own childs education in the hands of the same teacher who molded him.
Character Development Program
I first heard of Kelsos Choice as part of the elementary school guidance initiatives at the
American International School of Mozambique. An online program called Building Character
with Kelso mainly utilizes the same conflict management skills development popularized by
Kelsos Choice. Geared towards lower and primary school children, the Kelso program consists
of age-appropriate engaging lesson plans, activities and resources that focus on the capabilities
of children as peace makers themselves. Kelsos Choice proves to be timely in the age range
where bullying starts becoming evident as children deal with playground politics and the likes.
Kelsos Choice is implemented as a school program as facilitated by guidance counselors and
teachers. With lessons such as distinguishing small and big problems or how to make a
deal, children plan viable solutions to conflict situations. One of the key principles in Kelsos
Choice is that, Each child is smart enough and strong enough to resolve a conflict.

I mostly teach middle school, and decision-making skills are still emerging at this age
range. Conflict management skills are essential in their day-to-day class interactions. Most
issues in middle school from my own experience emerge from group dynamics. Early teens tend
to seek group consensus in their decisions such that peer pressure becomes difficult to handle
for many of them. Perhaps by making somewhat a counterpart of Kelsos Choice for middle
school, these students could revisit tactics and strategies that clarify issues and settle disputes
using their own problem-solving skills. It would be helpful if a peer council could also be formed
where more experienced students serve as advisors or counselors to younger students. What I
like about Kelsos choice is that the responsibility accorded to students reflects more of the
respect they deserve in handling in their own issues. Its the discipline that comes and develops
from within that tends to be more long lasting compared to solutions imposed externally by other
people.